At its best, Fashion's Night Out (FNO) is a night of fashion, beauty, music, complimentary services, and drinks. At its worst? An over-crowded hotbed of godawful trendsters. I'm slightly bitter.

Look, last year I was so overwhelmed by the platform-and-animal-skin-clad chicks in the West Village, I had to duck into an Italian restaurant to compose myself (eat pasta and drink red wine).

I missed out on celebrity DJs, one-night-only deals, and more. If I hit up FNO tomorrow, the following events look dope.

NYC Fashion's Night Out Schedule: Thursday, September 8

Win Free Tickets to the Rebecca Taylor S/S 2012 Fashion Show

6-11PM

Get your photo snapped on the "step & repeat" at the Rebecca Taylor Flagship Boutique. The person with the fiercest look will win two tickets to the Rebecca Taylor fashion show. P.S. Svedka cocktails & sweets will be there as well. If you're into that kinda' thing. Rebecca Taylor Flagship Boutique: 34 Gansevoort St.

9:30 Solange Knowles Spins at Sephora

Head to the by Carol's Daughter styliing bar at Sephora to get your coiffure "did" in one of four styles: mohawk, fishtail braids, modern updo, and hair accessories. And while you're waiting, you get to watch Solange get down on the ones and twos. Sephora: 597 Fifth Avenue, 48th & 49th St.

"Rhinestonate" Your Hanky Pankys

Ends at 11:00pm

End your night with some Hanky Panky at Blomingdale's Soho. Adorn your Hanky Panky thong or boy short purchase with rhinestones. Word. Bloomingdale's Soho: 504 Broadway between Broome and Spring.

Not planning to be in the NYC area? Get your virtual Fashion's Night Out happening at Piperlime.com. At 6PM on the dot, they'll reveal their new celebrity guest editors. You can be one of the first to shop the editors' top picks!

Another fun New York Fashion Week moment was hanging in the suites at the Empire Hotel. First stop was the Nintendo DS-Benefit Cosmetics-Essie nail polish suite. The girls and I stopped by, noshed, played a new Nintendo game, and got mini makeovers and new products in the Benefit Cosmetics room.

We also sat down for a manicure in the Essie room. Here's a picture of one of the best beauty reps I've ever met. She was so knowledgeable and passionate about the brand. I had to take a picture.

After that, we went down to the Lia Sophia suite. We spotted Reshma Shetty from USA Network's "Royal Pains" and drooled over the gorgeous Industrielle jewelry. I had my eye on the Concentric Square Ring in matte gold with black diamond crystals. It is phenomenal, no?

Rather than go to the Nautica Men's Fall 2011 presentation and report which boys were the cutest, I figured I'd enlist a dude to actually *gasp* look at the clothes.

Enter Brian.Brian is my infamously-awkward-yet-unquestionably-stylish marketing-genius friend. In fact, his nickname was once,"Google Man". I challenged him to describe the collection in 155 clever words or less. He succeeded.

These Are the Pops

"They really did a great job of highlighting the Nautica lifestyle. It's about the basics: white, black, navy, gray, and camel with added "pops." The pops of color were the orange (I loved) and the Nautica-branded pops."

The Prince & the Pea (Coat)

"Nothing says classic outerwear like the pea coat. And theirs was well made, tailored, and on point. Easily the highlight.

I also liked their trench. Comes in the obvious navy as well as a brown-knit pattern featuring a collar with a plaid undercarriage (guess it's made to be popped)."

Who's Afraid of Eavesdropping? Not Bri!

"I briefly got the ear of Nautica Creative Director Chris Cox. And by "got the ear of", I mean I patiently waited and eavesdropped on his conversation with real fashionistas. He talked about the luxurious sophistication of the Nautica brand.

My take? Nautica should "own" outerwear for fall '11. Be basic and deliver high quality styles. If this winter was any indication of weather to come, America needs more pea coats."

Only one Fashion Week event could make me whip out a body-hugging animal print dress...Cocktails & Couture! I was stoked to be in the Aveda Lifestyle Salon with some of my favorite Twitter peeps, social media mavens, and beauty and fashion influencers.

Cocktails & Couture is an event that happens every season during Fashion Week founded by the gorgeous beauty expert, Lianne Farbes. We networked, laughed, sampled products, and ate candy from the Hypnotiq candy bar (yup, THAT Hypnotiq). There were shellac manicures by CND and makeup application by Victoria Stiles as well.

Behold, the SPIRITUAL WARRIOR: where the heavenly veil meets the earthly turban.

OK imagine a BRAIDED flapper-era dress made with a sweetheart neckline. Seriously, the pic doesn't do it justice. This dress is like Supreme Court justice and my pic is more like TV court justice (from a fashion perspective).

I was awe-struck when I saw the model's fingers; they almost looked like they were dipped in black paraffin wax. My backstage beauty friend will give me the story and I'll report back. Oh-oh-oh you can also see a close up of MY dress!

Ty from Hey Bella Blog was kind enough to give me a ticket to Christian Siriano. The fashion gods though, had something else in mind for me. I was late for the show because I was at the Kim Crawford wine bar meeting one of my favorite supermodels...Pat Cleveland. I know, I know. Huge!

Nichelle from 55 Secret Street said, "Oh Shaunequa, let me introduce you to Pat Cleveland." Luckily there was no time for me to spazz out (well, I did tell her I illegally used her image as my Facebook profile picture).

She turned around and said I was "so glamorous"...PAT CLEVELAND!!

My heart stopped. My blood stopped circulating. My brain synapses stopped synapsing. All I could do was reach into my bag and take out my hot pink camera holder. I snuggled up, rested my head on hers, and posed. After that, it's all a blur.

Press credentials? Check. Comfortable footwear? Check. Caffeinated beverage? Check-a-roo! I'm so excited to give you all the scoop from New York Fashion Week for another season. Follow me on Twitter for instant updates!

Along with a challenge to attend more shows each season, I jotted down a few more goals for myself. If you have any other ideas, holler at your blogger:

Well well well. We made it to the final chapter of my fashion week recap. Though I went back to my weekday routine, in the last few days, I sat right behind Diane Von Furstenberg at one of the shows and took a pic of the back of Miss Jay's head. Yes, both occurrences took place at the same show, but nevertheless check it out.

Sunday 9/12:

Diane Von Furstenberg S/S '11 Live Stream

I was invited with some of my favorite bloggers, and some of the same girls from Cocktails and Couture the other night, to witness artistry in motion. The Diane Von Furstenberg live stream at her store. It was incredible. See for yourself.

Monday 9/13:

Haute Social

I grabbed a cocktail (yup, only one; it packed a punch!) and chatted it up with a bunch of fun people. I saw pictures from last year's Haute Social so I was super excited about it this season. I wasn't disappointed--at all.

Wednesday 9/15:

Nathan Jenden

So this is it. The moment I had been waiting for...Diane Von Furstenberg and Miss Jay (that's the back of his head. I'm officially a stalker) were both sitting in front of me. Check out the pic below. I'm the one with the hot pink stars around her head! Oh and seriously, the Nathan Jenden show had more models of color than any of the S/S '11 shows I saw COMBINED. And the clothes as well as "The Wizard of Oz" /"The Wiz" yellow-brick-road-themed runway were sick.

DVF Image Courtesy of The Shophound

Thursday 9/16:

Rebecca Moses

I rounded out Fashion Week with a brilliant array of mix and match patterns, boxy tops, feminine skirts, and bat-winged eyes. Of course, right...it's spring! I give major (read: mad) props to the model on the right. A gross, "videographer" was taking pics of her legs and slowly creeping up them and as she continuously gave him "you're such a loser" looks, he finally stopped.

Well, that's it! See you next season. If you want to read my entire fashion week recap, click here!

I was psyched this was a presentation and not a show because I really, really, really wanted to catch the DVF brunch, which was scheduled to start um, right at the moment I walked into Lincoln Center! I not only fell hard for the looks here, but I also saw one of my former Marie Claire colleagues.

CFDA Fall Accessories Panel at the DVF Lounge:

I flew out of Lincoln Center like a famous Meatloaf album! After taking the wrong train downtown and getting caught in loathsome traffic, I could only envision Alexis Bittar and the other panelists including Harper's Bazaar Accessories Editor. And I got to see them...as the audience applauded at the very end of the panel. All wasn't lost though; I finally got to hang with Ehmonie from What's Haute and we hit the DVF photo booth.

After chatting it up, I headed back uptown to kill some time before the next show. I went for a mani-pedi. Now, as I was there, I envisioned Rachel Zoe. I told myself that somehow I'd see her on that day. Who'd guess I really would...about 30 minutes later.

Yoana Baraschi:

Fresh-to-death nails...I was ready. As I walked toward The Box, I saw a very familiar blonde woman walk in front of me.Yup, Rachel Zoe in a black silk jumper and chunky gold jewelry. Check out the pic I got with the ol' iPhone. After my awe wore off I found myself in line at Yoana Baraschi with Tineey and Christen from Divas & Dorks. Here's the pic of Rachel and more of YB's eclectic looks:

Gotta tell ya, I've seen, heard, and learned quite a few things this past week. So I figured I'd do a little recap to fill you in on the scoop.

Thursday 9/9:

Picked up my press credentials in the evening and walked to Lincoln Center. I only checked out the exterior so I could save the whimsy of the interior for Friday: my first day of shows!

Friday 9/10:

Madonna mia! Walking into the tents for the first time was like walking into Oz. There was even a guy in an alphabet suit (like the male counterpart of "Miss One" from "The Wiz"). He was exquisite. So many people swirling around in a sartorially eloquent tailspin. Of course some, like Rachel Zoe, were standing and posing (Will tell you my Rachel Zoe story when we get to Saturday's festivities)! As I rubbed my eyes in disbelief, "seriously, Beverly Johnson is right across from me?", I waited in line for my first show of the season...

Edition Georges Chakra: I spied with my heavily-mascara'd eye, Kelly Rowland with a dope new asymetrical cut in the front row. I also saw one woman in the standing line somehow make her way to the front row! It was magic. And speaking of magic, here are a couple of my favorite looks from the show.

Images courtesy of Huffington Post

Ports 1961:

After holding my chocolate Diet Muscle Milk until it was warm (it's suggested that you drink that jammy chilled), I realized I hadn't eaten and should probably give this gluten-free, protein-enriched drink a go. Yo the chick from Georges Chakra was seats away from Miss Jay in the front row. And then the show started...I was so uplifted by the looks. Totally something for everyone.

After that, I prepped for Fashion's Night Out...

As you might remember, I had a pretty aggressive schedule for the night. As you might imagine, eh, things didn't go exactly as planned.

Charlotte Ronson "I Heart Ronson" Event at JC Penny:

Only Charlotte Ronson could get me to traverse friggin Herald Square on such a busy night. When there, the front section of the Manhattan Mall (yup), was roped off and on the small, sectioned-off island, stood fashion industry folks, white wine, DJ Samantha Ronson, and mini cupcakes. One of the models wore the most incredible parachute-short pants (I saw her the next day at the tents and she told me it was a skirt)!

Diane Von Furstenberg-HP Event

Now this folks, marks the beginning of my DVF weekend. I caught the end of the event and though I missed the photo booth, I would experience it the next day at the CFDA Accessories panel with Alexis Bittar and other esteemed CFDA members. Stay tuned for that and much more in part two of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week S/S '11: This...Is...the Remix!

This year, I find myself doing the unspeakable: leaving town during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (it's only a day trip, but I'm pretty sure a fashion god is crying somewhere in heaven). The good part is, as I prep for my trip, I have some free time on my hands today to partake in a little New York Fashion Week action.

So I'll be heading to a few shows, going home to change, and hitting the town for Fashion's Night Out. Check me out on Twitter to stay up on the latest. Remember my last post about me and my crew hitting up Fashion's Night Out? Here's the tentative schedule for tonight. Meet us out if you're around!

First stop:

We're going to Henri Bendel for the Frederic Fekkai-Marchesa event. The Fekkai-Marchesa teams will be recreating red carpet looks donned by Hollywood starlets for real women.Olivia Palermo will help to style the red carpet looks.For $75 you get a professional-quality digital and print picture of yourself donning an award-worthy look put together by a personal dresser. Proceeds go to the official FNO charity.

Second stop:

The peeps at Phyto, Lierac, and Caron are putting together a FNO event, which will feature scalp analyses, product samples, and champagne. And seriously, my crew and I have never met a free glass of champagne/sparkling wine/hard cider that we didn't like.

Third stop:

We'll make our way to the Charlotte Ronson, "I HEART RONSON" event. Charlotte Ronson and Michelle Trachtenberg will be offering styling tips as FNO guests peruse the JCP-exclusive collection. On the 1s & 2s? DJ Samantha Ronson, of course! After partaking in that and obvi, washing down "Fashion Eats Cupcakes" sweets with Hob Nob wine, we'll move on.

Fourth stop:

I'll be on the look out for super-gorgeous Sessilee Lopez who's to host a fete in honor of her Modelina magazine cover. There will be cupcakes and bebidas there as well and like, we can't be rude. We will also join the crowd, which will view IRO's and Erickson Beamon's collections. Maybe we will win the one-of-a-kind pieces from the designers!

Fifth stop:

DVF is partnering with HP and Refinery 29 for the DVF + HP Experience Lounge . I'm sure at least one of us will slip into the photo booth in our Refinery 29-styled outfit.Can't wait to see what else is up their ridiculously chic sleeves.

Last stop:

Teen Vogue-ASOS Block Party! We'll join the crowd and check out some great boutiques on Bleeker St.

Note: There is a very strong chance that we'll add places as we go along. Check us out on Twitter. If you're out, holler. If not, just peep us and see how much foolishness we get into and how many fantabulous fashion girls and boys we see. I'm shooting *haha* to take pics of really cool looks I see out.

Fashion week is almost a week away. I know because I'm becoming my own outfit soothsayer. I figure if I plan ahead, I won't have a living room full of discarded clothes and shoes as I "change clothes and go".

Anyways, unless you got a bob that just won't quit, it's possible that your front row seat isn't exactly set in stone. And then there was AOL Stylist. They're doing a super cool (super easy) contest. Click here and leave a comment describing what you'd wear to NYFW by 11:59PM ET on September 2, 2010. Consider that your entry into the contest. Crazy easy, right?